Sustainable Operations

National Sustainable Operations Strategy

National Sustainable Operations Strategy is at the core of the Forest Service mission. It includes how we manage for healthy and resilient forests, healthy soils, clean air and clean water. Sustainability is also about reducing our environmental footprint in our daily operations, built infrastructure, fleet and equipment, purchasing, and workplace practices. In 2024, the Forest Service released our National Sustainable Operations Strategy to reduce our emissions, shift our consumption habits and purchases, and ensuring our employees are supported throughout the process.

Energy and Water Conservation

The U.S. Forest Service is committed to data-driven decision-making. We are creating a new energy data management system to allow us to track the energy and water use of our facilities and associated greenhouse gas emissions. We use this data to inform where to invest in energy and water conservation projects. We recently engaged in a Blanket Purchase Agreement with Siemans to begin work on larger energy savings performance contracts, some of which include installation of solar photovoltaic panels to help reduce our reliance on grid-based energy and improve the efficiency, reliability, and environmental aspects of our work.

Net Zero Waste and Recycling Initiative

To reduce waste and increase recycled materials, the Forest Service is piloting several net zero waste initiatives. These efforts have centered on the installation of waste metering camera-based technology, which allow the contents and volume of waste containers to be tracked and assessed remotely. This approach allows waste managers to not only more closely monitor what materials are being thrown away (and therefore implement new recycling efforts), but also reduce the number of weekly waste hauls, thereby decreasing the associated greenhouse gas emissions from trucks driving to and from waste pickups.

Greening Fire

The Greening Fire Team is a voluntary group of interagency employees working to achieve net zero environmental impact on large fire incidents by 2030. The team engages individuals across organizational levels and sectors to develop and implement sustainability best management practices (BMP's) in incident operations.

Wood is Good

No matter where we live, forests play an important role in our lives. Healthy forests reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, thus combating climate change. Sequestered carbon is stored in trees, soil, the wood debris on the forest floor, and in long-lasting products made from harvested wood. Read more about long-lasting products on the Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory website. Read more about our wood products innovation work within our State, Private and Tribal Forestry branch.

Net Zero

Net Zero is a goal to reach the point where our daily operations are in balance with our environment. When we achieve Net Zero, our ecological footprint is neutral. Working towards balance between people and planet is essential to ensuring sufficient resources for future generations. People have an impact on the environment in many ways. The Forest Service focuses Net Zero efforts on energy, fleet, waste, and water. Learn more about Net Zero.

Sustainable Buildings

The Forest Service has guidelines in place to ensure that our newly constructed facilities achieve a sustainability performance beyond what is required under federal law. The Agency has design guidelines and elements in place to guide this work and pursues certifications such as LEED or Green Globes for new buildings. The Agency also has tools, for example, the Built Environment Image Guide, which outline principles of sustainability and how our facilities should reflect their places within natural and cultural landscapes.